


Summer Interlude

by Jade_Tatsu



Category: Alien, Alien vs Predator, Guyver, Predator
Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-05-21
Updated: 2012-05-21
Packaged: 2017-11-05 19:05:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,474
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/409976
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jade_Tatsu/pseuds/Jade_Tatsu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In the jungle a Predator is out hunting and comes across a strange group investigating some ruins. Tetsuro, Agito and co are hunting the past and for the powers of Alkanphel and this had taken them deep into a jungle where more than one thing is watching.</p>
<p>Fits in with Canon Guyver if you extend the time before Mount Minakami.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Summer Interlude

oOoOoOo

Summer Interlude  
Jade Tatsu

oOoOoOo

The group was unusual. That was why he continued to observe them.

That, and they were currently investigating the ruins built above his ship. Normally this would be enough for their immediate execution but the rules of the hunt forbade that. They had weapons but they weren't armed, not all of them and not all the time.

It was frustrating but he was patient and while his ship remained hidden, he could not violate the rules. Besides, for the moment there was enough sport to be had hunting in the surrounds.

The locals knew he was around and were taking precautions but others weren't heeding their warnings. Not that the hunter - Hk'tak - cared. Indeed, he had just returned from a side hunt, one that had proven interesting but of more interest to the hunter now, as he resumed watching his prey was the knowledge that he was not alone. There were others also watching this group.

As Hk'tak cast his eyes around he almost chuckled to himself... the watchers were armed. They were quite well hidden and the excavation group would not notice them but the hunter had. He could use this and he would enjoy it immensely. The hunter growled softly before a shout from the ruins took his attention. They had appeared to have found something and were gathered around a tablet. The watchers were also straining forward.

The hunter clicked to himself before he jumped back. He didn't really care what they had found, this was a good opportunity, while the prey was distracted by the ruins for the hunter to look around and confirm his counts. Once Hk'tak knew how many prey he had he could plan his hunt.

oOoOoOo

Hk'tak shifted slightly on his perch, turning his head away from the fires that stabbed at his eyes. Night had fallen and the excavators had lit fires, more for light than for warmth. The head of the day lingered still but the use of fire was interesting. The excavators didn't want to be found, or at least didn't want to use the technology of the age... Their camp would be a lot more comfortable if they used generators. Still, this made the hunt more fun. He could not be careless with his noise if he couldn't hide under the noise of the generators.

Even the watchers were using more technology. Scans had shown their suits to be tech enhanced, providing noise reduction as well as temperature regulation. Their helmets had a suite of sensors in the including radio transmission. At that Hk'tak had snorted. They were in a radio black spot and besides, oomans relied on their radios far too much, they contaminated the frequencies. Hk'tak didn't mind because it only added to the isolation.

There were more watchers than he'd originally thought. While there were five on duty, there were a further fifteen camped some distance away. The hunter had almost missed them and he'd been surprised at the distance. But it simply meant that the watchers were cautious, or hunters like himself. He would take them down first and leave the bodies where they would be found. Perhaps that would make its primary prey use the weapons did not carry.

The watchers changed their shifts every eight hours and he would strike then, taking out their camp first. Hk'tak clicked as he jumped, swinging easily through the trees, using the branches as a running platform effortlessly, as he headed towards the watchers camp. He passed five watchers heading towards their companions to relive them - right on schedule. A few moments of hard running later and the camp was in sight. With a steely shing, Hk'tak's wrist blades slid forward and he pulled out his spear, extending it as he locked on to the ten remaining targets.

They all had weapons on their hips and in the relative safety of their camp they were relaxed. Two fell to plasma rounds which brought the others to their feet, falling into formation to be back to back as they drew their weapons, scanning the environment. They were trained soldiers, the hunter realised happily.

Hk'tak didn't bother with his cloak and he enjoyed the moment of confusion when they saw him. oomans never knew what to think of his kind, and their fear was tasty. He jumped again, smoothly dodging their shots. A jab forward with his spear impaled the closest one before he tossed them into the air easily. The ooman screamed, failing wildly in the air as they rose then fell. The hunter slashed with his wrist blades and the coppery tang of blood filled the air as the twin blades cut efficiently through flesh.

The watchers confusion didn't last and their leader shouted something unintelligible which calmed the others and before the body parts of the dead had splattered to the ground the soldiers had assumed a new formation and it was Hk'tak's turn to be confused as they all discarded their helmets and literally growled back at him.

He was an experienced hunter but this was the first time that he had been directly challenged by prey!

Cornered individuals challenged hunters and were selected for their ability to fight but groups were usually much more timid. And they didn't recover that fast. They usually lamented and mourned the death until they realised it was inevitable and the predator was stronger.

Hk'tak hissed as the air around the remaining seven prey appeared to burn and a scan showed that their brain waves were changing... becoming more animalistic. He clicked and stepped back, weapons still at the ready as he watched this new development.

The prey wavered. This was not natural. They continued growling... Had he scared them too much?

And then the prey changed.

Hk'tak hissed in surprise as they changed.

Uranus.

The hunter clicked and activated his cloak, as he leapt back into the trees watching. Uranus. He hadn't seen this type of opponent... for centuries. Not since the Yautja's last real war. And to think that the Oomans were the base material for the Uranus's troops.

Hk'tak knew these things and knew he had to deal with these things quickly. He sheathed his spear and clamped his hand to the disk at his side, tapping his claws over the targeting controls, locking on to four of the smallest ones. The other two were too massive for the disk to cut through and their leader... That form was armoured. Still, the hunter would be able to deal with them. This made the hunt far more interesting and the skulls from this hunt would bring him much honour. Uranus troops were rare, but a highly prized hunt. Strong, fast, unpredictable... Unlike their creators.

Perhaps, his primary targets should become his secondary targets... Later. The hunter threw the disk, somersaulting from one branch to another watching the trajectory.

The hunter growled as a burst of energy from leader tracked him. The leader was good, but Hk'tak was better, and as Uranus soldiers fell, he snatched his disk from the air, jumping again, fastening the disk to its holster. Seven down, three to go.

The leader shouted something indecipherable but firm and Hk'tak paused, crouching low on the branch to avoid detection. Their heartbeats were elevated, but not overworking, not pounding in unthinking fear and over the smell of blood, the hunter could not detect fear. Even with the loss of their companions. They were still controlled... They were very well-trained soldiers, and he wondered briefly if they would fight predictably, until he saw fit to cut their throats. Or if they would display some interesting tactics..?

The hunter blinked as they took new formation, and then he roared in frustration... Interesting tactics were not always interesting!

The three remaining Uranus troops had wheeled and had run into the jungle, each heading in a different direction, obviously with the hope that they would not be the one followed. Hk'tak growled and tracked each of them briefly, but it was not a feint meant to distract him so that they could regroup to attack. They each ran fast and straight, not looking back as they continued to distance themselves from their camp.

The hunter snarled. He would track them down later, but now he would take his trophies to show them what was going to happen. With a last sweep of the area, Hk'tak turned back to his kills, before he screamed.

oOoOoOo

Tetsuro started at the noise.

He wasn't the only one. Their entire group had jumped and drew in towards each other as a chill ran through them.

"That wasn't an animal," Mizuki said, the quaver in her voice barely hidden. Sho stood before her, his focus fully on the jungle.

Tetsuro agreed, but couldn't bring himself to voice his agreement as he looked around, human eyes scanning the dense vegetation around them. There had been something inhuman in the noise that had reverberated across their senses and it didn't help that they'd been jittery since they'd gotten here about a week ago. They were hunting the past, and that meant going to the ancient places of the world, looking for evidence, looking for history. But the jungle was not a friendly place, not when you were used to cars and traffic and buildings and people. The noises were different. The presence was different and the entire feel was wrong.

The guides were adding to their edginess. Something was spooking the natives and it wasn't the jungle, because they treated the plants and animals almost with a respectful affection. It was something else, but language was proving to be a problem there. It wasn't enough to hinder their search for the past, but the language barrier was great enough that they couldn't understand what the local guides were afraid of, only that they were afraid, and that showed even now as they were huddled on the ground, hands out, almost on display, as if they were seeking to prove that they were unarmed, that they were harmless. About all that had been clear, was that their guides insisted that they not be armed and they'd been ostentatious in leaving behind their machetes back at their village. Something about the heat, and the hunter...

Agito rolled his eyes at the nervous tension he could feel. "I'll go," he said curtly before stalking off. As soon as he was out of sight he would bio-boost and go exploring and find what had screamed. For him, it would be a nice diversion from the tedium of excavation.

With Agito gone, the group tried to calm down. Tetsuro turned back to the stone they were excavating in their search for answers. They knew the recent history of Chronos, what they were looking for was the evidence of its existence in the past and for evidence of Alkanphel and from that evidence, hopefully information about his abilities. There was evidence. Chronos hadn't always been as secretive as they were now and in primitive societies the abilities of Alkanphel and Chronos were probably looked upon as godlike. For example, the stone they had just uncovered showed a type of Zoanoid they'd never seen before. It had spindly limbs and what looked to be four bones protruding from its back as well as a very long tail that was surmounted by a sharp looking blade. It looked almost human but had a vastly elongated head and the representation showed teeth, very sharp teeth. The artisan who had carved this relief had paid particular attention to the set of the mouth and the way the teeth could protrude. It was obviously a Zoanoid, but of a type that they had not seen.

Tetsuro passed a sweaty cloth over his forehead, before he re-tied it as best he could around his neck, seeking what small comfort there was through evaporation. It was so hot! He'd thought Tokyo was hot, but it had nothing on the oppressive heat and humidity of this jungle. They were all soaked in perspiration that did little to cool them since the jungle itself was so wet. It helped when the infrequent breeze found them but apart from that there was little relief from the heat and they all laboured under its oppression, panting with both altitude and the temperature.

The Zoanoid was interesting but it was not Alkanphel, though the presence of a Zoanoid carving was an indication that they may find something about the Supreme Zoalord in these ruins.

They just had to find it.

oOoOoOo

There was a flash of anger so primeval that for a moment Hk'tak couldn't see. But he was an experienced hunter and quickly suppressed the unthinking anger while using the rest to sweep through the area, trying to determine what had happened.

His kills were gone.

There were no tracks to indicate the bodies had been moved, they were not suspended as if some other Yautja was trying to claim them.

They just weren't there.

He changed visual frequencies, scanning the area again for clues but coming up with nothing.

It was not possible for his kills to have been lifted away from him without his notice and he looked again at the place where they had fallen, examining the ground meticulously. It was not until he was reaching some of the more useless frequencies for this planet that he detected something. There was a smudge and it was overlaid over the area his kills had fallen.

Cautiously Hk'tak reached out and ran his claws through the smudge. The substance was gritty but had slickness usually associated with fat. Hk'tak flicked the frequencies back to normal and looked around again as he began to understand the old words. Thou may kill of the Uranus but dust and derision shall greet thee.

He had only dust to show for his kills and he could well imagine the scorn of his peers should he attempt to claim these kills as legitimate without rightful proof.

The anger rose again and once more he forced himself to calm. He would not claim the kills but he would mention to the hunt master that the Uranus were present. That information was invaluable. He looked around again, taking note of the placement before jumping towards the trees with a soft click. There were other oomans to hunt and the rest of the Uranus troops should be arriving shortly and their behaviour would be telling.

Hk'tak froze as something entered the camp, well before the expected arrival of the five incoming Uranus warriors.

It was an odd creature and for a moment he almost thought it was a hard meat but the shape was wrong and the visual emission more subdued. It was warm, the new thing but it kept its heat well contained. It was spiky though some of the points appeared to have no purpose but he didn't care. The new creature was armed with blades, two adorning each arm and as Hk'tak scanned through the visual frequencies, he detected that the new comer had quite a suite of sensors about them. They were like the Uranus in that way but there was enough difference that he couldn't say they were the same. This new comer was definitely something different.

He watched, cloaked and hidden as the creature went around the camp with short, sure strides. The new thing paused briefly at each of the kills, examining the smudge that was all that remained carefully. There was very little movement wasted but as Hk'tak watched he knew this creature was re-creating the battle. The few gestures they did make screamed of that and he felt a kernel of excitement bloom. This would be a hunt!

He shifted slightly as the Uranus troops returned and was surprised when the new creature ignored them, turning sharply to stare up at Hk'tak's position. Hk'tak stared back, confident he was not truly detected but impressed at the new creatures ability. They would have stared longer but the Uranus troops attacked and he watched as the new comer blocked them easily, throwing them back towards the ground but not using the blades on his arms. It was interesting though, since they were speaking and the noise lacked any tell-tale sign of stress. Hk'tak had hunted oomans before, he knew the nuances of fear but this new creature showed none. It was possible the new thing hadn't truly sensed him but he didn't think so. He had been sensed but not seen and the lack of fear was because this new thing was not afraid.

It was confident.

It would be a worthy hunt.

oOoOoOo

Tetsuro looked up as the others paused in their work. They'd excavated the outline of another panel and were slowly peeling away the dirt and growth that covered it. The cause of the stoppage was obvious. Agito had returned.

And he was not alone.

Trailing behind him were jungle uniformed soldiers of Chronos. That was what had caught their group's attention. Tetsuro was mildly interested as these men were not Chronos Japan but were Chronos Brazil and they were a little different from what he was used to. They were still Zoanoids though, that was all that really mattered.

"You got an entourage?" Tetsuro asked one eye-brow raised in question.

"So it would seem," Agito replied, nonplussed.

They watched on as their guides and the Zoanoids began talking in high speed, gesturing towards the forest. The guides were insistent upon something and kept babbling the phrase 'El diablo nos mira' while pointing at the jungle, the Zoanoids seemed more reasonable, but they were tense. It was all very confusing. Tetsuro was about to dismiss it all and return to excavating when there came a snort from the side and a new Zoanoid appeared.

A Hyper Zoanoid.

"The devil is watching us," the Hyper Zoanoid translated into Japanese, shrugging off their looks of surprise at his appearance. "Hyper Zoanoids are expected to be multilingual," he said by way of explanation. Really Chronos was an international company, he was one of its officers, did they really think that world domination was done without the ability to communicate?

"There is something out there," Agito said. "Something that took out several of you," he added pointedly, staring intently at the Hyper Zoanoid.

"I don't know what it was," the man admitted. "We thought it was a test type, but it wasn't, it was way too strong and it moved too fast."

"A Proto-lord?" Sho asked, keeping himself between the Zoanoids and Mizuki.

The Hyper Zoanoid considered it. "No. It didn't feel right. It had no mental presence."

"So why are you here?" Tetsuro asked the foreign Zoanoid.

"Because, as he says, there is something out there and I for one wish to live long enough to report it. My superiors know you are here and while we had so far remained undetected, I doubt that would have continued. Let's be honest, when you leave, you will walk away with your information and that wouldn't have mattered if you'd detected us or not. So since there is something out there, something that has no problem in killing us, it's better for us to be seen by you and live to report whatever it is."

Tetsuro snorted. The logic was impeccable even if the motives were solely self-preservation, which was somewhat amusing coming from a Zoanoid, someone who was nothing more than an expendable pawn for Chronos. Tetsuro looked to Agito, who appeared to be in silent conversation with Sho.

"There is something out there. Agito's Unit definitely picked up on something but it couldn't get a lock," Sho said softly. "For the purpose of mutual survival, I'm happy with a temporary truce."

Agito rolled his eyes. His answer should be obvious. "I brought them here."

"And that is that," Tetsuro said, looking back towards the Hyper Zoanoid, "though I'd appreciate it if you could help us dig. As you say, when we leave, we will be leaving with our information and it is information you will now share, but I think we both want to be out of here as fast as we can."

The Hyper Zoanoid nodded and spoke briefly with the other Zoanoids, getting them settled in and dividing up the work of excavation.

oOoOoOo

Hk'tak hissed to himself as he looked over at his prey's camp. Their watchers had joined forces with them, which while the greater numbers would make for a more interesting and challenging hunt, the fact that they were Uranus and the fact that there were non-combatants mixed in with them made it frustrating.

The new creature had lead the Uranus back here and one of the Uranus who had run from him had joined them. The other two were lost to him. He'd followed one of their tracks earlier to find it lead to a deep gorge. the other two were gone. Hk'tak regretted it only in passing. They were Uranus, not fully human.

The surprise had been the new creature, and Hk'tak was glad he had chosen to follow them back. It appeared that some oomans were more than had been previously noted and that shape shifting was something they were adept at. Perhaps that was why the Uranus troops were comfortable here. This new creature though was ooman with what had been armour. He'd have to see which trophy was best: the head or the armour. Maybe he'd take both. It was a new kind of ooman armour after all, one that what would gain him notice with the hunt masters, to recognise it and to kill it. Oh yes, he would be well rewarded.

Hk'tak clicked and narrowed his focus as his prey appeared to gather around a rock they'd been excavating. Voices raised and he listened without understanding, relaxed as the shouts showed him a truer count of prey.

There were now eleven Uranus, and the ooman who had armour but there also appeared to be two ooman females but Hk'tak wasn't completely sure about that. It was difficult to tell the ooman females from the males unless they were impregnated. There were five other ooman males though, three of whom were meat. He'd never seen them carry anything that was a weapon. The other two alternately did and didn't, much like the females and they were somewhat confusing but they were viable and they seemed to be the most involved in the discussion.

Hk'tak clicked his mandibles against his mask. The gesture was reassuring and comforting as he swung down from his vantage point. One of the Uranus had left the conversation and thus, while the others were occupied, it was time to hunt, to show them that the hunt never ceased.

oOoOoOo

Tetsuro smiled. With the Zoanoids split into shifts, some to take watch for whatever that 'something' was and to provide brute labour for the excavation, they were well ahead of schedule and he was almost ready to lift the veil, as it were, from the new block they'd unearthed.

Some scientists preferred to painstakingly lift the grime and accumulation of centuries piece by piece but Tetsuro didn't have the time. He had developed a much faster technique. First he examined the block then with a hot wire he sliced down over the facing of the relief, cutting away the vegetation before some mild soapy water was applied to scrub away the dirt and detritus.

Scientifically it wasn't the best method. Practically it probably did damage to the artefact but time and cost wise it was the best and those were his main focus. Besides, it wasn't like he got credit for any of these finds.

The portly Japanese teen smiled with grim humour as he lifted the tablet out of the cleansing water and washed it down with fresh. At least in this sweltering jungle they had more than enough water for him to be generous. He felt his heart skip a beat when he washed the dirt from the top to reveal the stylised triangular face of Alkanphel staring up at him.

Finally!

After so long! They had found something.

He restrained the urge to shout triumphantly and kept washing away the dirt. He rinsed the tablet off by reflex and then stepped back to look at it.

Tetsuro frowned.

The carving was well preserved and it was definitely Alkanphel but it depicted the Supreme Zoalord killing the image of the unknown Zoanoid they'd found earlier. That didn't make sense. Why would Alkanphel be killing a Zoanoid he could just control? Or was it an early lost number? But would that have been such a big event that it would be carved? He looked closer at the carving, focusing this time instead on the engraving around the border. It was numbers and if he was remembering his back ground research correctly, it was a list of dates, although he couldn't translate them into years he recognised but the dates would indicate that this tablet was depicting something that was not a one off event.

Tetsuro shook his head, and called the others over. Perhaps they'd have a different interpretation.

"Why is he killing a Zoanoid?"

Or perhaps not.

The Hyper Zoanoid stepped forward and examined the relief carefully. "That's not a Zoanoid," he said finally.

"It looks like a Zoanoid," the objection came from Shizu.

The Hyper Zoanoid shook his head firmly. "It might look like one, but it's not. It can't be one."

"Why not?"

The Hyper Zoanoid looked away, obviously conflicted about what he should say. "Chronos could make a Zoanoid like that today," he said carefully. "But say five hundred years ago a Zoanoid like that would have been impossible, even fifty years back would have been pushing it."

"What's so special about it then?"

Chronos' man grimaced. He really didn't want to be explaining this to rebels, but he didn't have much choice. At least not now, not like this, but they wouldn't move away until they knew, and he had to report back as soon as possible. Chronos had to know about that thing that had taken out half of his team. They couldn't afford another enemy like the one he was currently consorting with. With a sigh he waved one of his men back to the watch station and took a deep breath to explain. In for a penny, in for a pound it seemed.

"It can't be an ancient Zoanoid, or even a lost number because it's head is wrong, the jaws and the teeth just weren't possible then, either, and those back bones just seal it. The further back you go with Zoanoids, the more natural and humanoid we become. Those are the simplest designs. It's only recently that processing has been able to either create bones, or to make such large changes. No ancient Zoanoid would have had extra bones or a head like that. The tail is possible, but not the rest."

Tetsuro nodded slowly, looking at the stone carving carefully and comparing it in his memory to the images and sketches he'd seen of ancient Zoanoids. The Hyper Zoanoid was right. None of the other images he'd seen had extra bones or anything like that. In fact most of them were just larger, hairier and toothier humanoids, though that did lead to one further question. "So, what is it?"

"No idea," the Hyper Zoanoid shrugged.

One of the guides got a look at the tablet then and Tetsuro resisted the urge towards self-immolation as the native broke down crying. "Un demonio, un demonio..."

The Hyper Zoanoid looked confused but then started speaking quickly, gesturing towards the jungle. The phrase 'El diablo,' seemed to come up a lot. After a few minutes the guide shook his head, almost shouting a denial and making his own gestures, stabbing at both the forest and the carving.

"El diablo nos mira," accompanied the stabbing motions towards the jungle while cries of, "El demonio estuvo aqui," was linked to the motions towards the relief.

Eventually the Hyper Zoanoid held up his hands and said a few words to the guide who gave an affirmation.

"Okay, I think I have it straight," the Hyper Zoanoid said in Japanese after thinking for a few moments to translate the words. "There is something out there, something watching us," the man said, pointing to the jungle. "El diablo," he said for the benefit of the guide while still pointing. The guide confirmed it again. Their language skills were capable of that much at least. The Hyper Zoanoid then pointed towards the image of Alkanphel killing the supposed not Zoanoid. "That is a picture of a demon who was here many years ago." The Hyper Zoanoid then changed languages. "El demonio estuvo aqui," he said. Again the guide nodded, looking somewhat satisfied though their fear was still present.

"Okay so there is a devil watching us and there were demons here in the past?" Sho asked.

"Something like that," Tetsuro said and would have gone further but for the scream that came from the jungle.

The Hyper Zoanoid cursed and began running towards the watch station. Agito and Sho followed as did the other Zoanoids but they knew what had happened. The guides once again threw themselves to the ground, holding their hands out.

Tetsuro turned away. He would have to ask the Hyper Zoanoid to talk to them about that habit when they got back but he knew already what they would find. The Zoanoid would be dead and the killer would not be there.

There was something out there.

oOoOoOo

Hk'tak clicked as he looked down at their camp. The layout had changed again and he nodded to himself at the logical progression. They had taken heed of his warning earlier and were trying to protect themselves better, which had the benefit for him of moving the non-valid targets into one group. Even so their layout was not enough to stop him.

The Uranus soldiers were spread out and there were other traps laid around the perimeter. Most were simple enough for the hunter to avoid easily and he'd noted down their positions so that he did not trigger them. It was late and the light from their fires was fading, which meant they would be at their deepest resting point.

Hk'tak took a deep breath as he altered the visual frequencies, checking on the locations of all his targets one more time. The non-valid targets, including the females were gathered together sleeping and that would work to his advantage. He would enter the camp near them to see if they were truly just meat or if they would develop the courage to attack him and thus add to the hunt. He would be magnanimous though, even if the females attacked, he would let them live to breed better oomans for future hunts. The two he wasn't sure about were sleeping near them which would also be good as they would show their true intentions when he showed himself. The rest, the Uranus and that new creature were spread out. There were six on guard duty, spread out around the camp, all in sight of each other and all alert. The others were sleeping, but they were not bunched together but were scattered around. Hk'tak considered that. There were advantages to that but disadvantages as well and he supposed they felt the advantages were more important. At least this way he couldn't take them out with one plasma round. But in the end it wouldn't matter, he would hunt them all.

He activated his cloak as he swung down from his vantage point, moving around the camp to attack. If he took out the two sentinels on one side, he could confront the invalid targets to determine their worth, and then there would most likely be a melee with the others. He wouldn't hunt them all tonight. Tonight he would just thin their numbers, would show them better what he was capable of and what they had to fear. Perhaps they would be innovative. Hk'tak hoped so. There was greater honour in killing more worthy hunts, but it was rare that an ooman showed the innovation that made them highly prized, that made those hunts ones that were remembered and wished for.

The hunter came to rest on a high branch, almost completely overlooking the camp. Like most oomans they hadn't considered the trees and the defences this high were negligible. He would teach them about their weaknesses tonight. With a practised move, Hk'tak drew his disk and ran his claws over the targeting controls, programming the two sentinels into it before he cast it perfectly and jumped to the ground, running towards the camp with his spear at the ready. He wouldn't need plasma rounds for this.

oOoOoOo

Sho awoke to the sounds of running and screams and he instinctively rolled from his position, checking his personal perimeter before calling his unit. They were under attack and he could hear a few shots of gun fire and the unmistakable sound of steel and flesh straining.

As soon as his Unit settled in place the sensors began relaying information to him. Four Zoanoids were down and the others were fighting something that seemed to flicker to his senses. It was almost as if it wasn't there and then as another Zoanoid fell Sho understood. The thing was like a Gastal, it had a cloak and it was using it to fight. That's why the Zoanoids were scattered. They knew the creature was there, they just didn't know exactly where.

Sho grabbed Tetsuro and pushed him away from the fight zone. "Go, that way," he instructed. "Go deeper into the temple, that should be safe. I'll send Mizuki after you."

Tetsuro nodded, knowing he had little place in the middle of a fight, as Sho jumped confidently in the other direction.

:Agito, can you sense it?: Sho asked as he moved towards the creature. He couldn't sense Mizuki or the guides, so he had to assume they were safe and out of the area, for now.

:I can sense it,: Guyver III replied. :But I can't get a lock on it. It's too fast.:

:Can you get the Zoanoids out of the way?:

:A little.: And with the affirmation came a shouted command to the Zoanoids. "Pull back."

Instinctively the Zoanoids obeyed, even though the command had not come from their Hyper Zoanoid they were trained to obey the voice of reason, the voice of power within their midst and Makishima Agito had both.

:Good,: Sho said, activating his sonic oscillators the instant the Zoanoids were out of range.

He was greeted with a surprised hiss that turned into a growl of pain and there was a flicker of electronics, almost as if tiny bursts of lightning were suspended in the air, and the creature attacking them became visible.

It looked like a Zoanoid. Sort of like a Gregole without horns and with dread locks. Except it had armour and was covered by some sort of netting. It was also far faster than a Zoanoid and Sho jumped back quickly as it immediately swung into action against him, a jab of a spear towards his stomach followed quickly by a slash from two blades attached to its wrist. The attack caused him to cease the sonic oscillations but Sho wasn't concerned about that as he dodged. It was the weapons that convinced him it wasn't a Zoanoid. Zoanoids were bio weapons, they didn't need other weapons, no matter how strong they were.

The creature didn't pause and Sho was kept busy dodging as it attacked. The Zoanoids were circling, looking for an opening, and Makishima was also looking. Sho slashed with his vibroblades, and the creature jumped back before countering with another swing from his own wrist blades, but then he went further, and Sho's sensors screamed as a disk appeared out of nowhere and he was forced to flip over it, twisting to avoid being cut in two. His sensors tracked the disk and he was surprised when it tracked back to the creature that snatched it out of the air with a practiced ease that bespoke a lot of power.

Sho dropped into a ready position, both vibroblades extended across his body and he kept his eyes firmly fixed upon the creature, his sensors flicked forward to assess his opponent.

"Gravity globe!" Makishima called firing off a few globes.

The creature heard him though and reacted faster than they thought possible, twisting away from the attack though one of the globes grazed it. Sho took the opening, dodging in to slash at the creature's abdomen.

It snarled as the blade caught but again its speed saved it, the wound was shallow but it was enough to draw blood and both the Guyvers and the Zoanoids drew back at the sight of the blood. It was a thick neon green and it splashed heavily against the ground. The creature hissed again and jumped high, slashing down with its spear to make sure no one followed as it landed on one of the overhanging branches.

Makishima laughed. "I can kill you!" He called out to the creature, which once again activated its cloak and jumped, this time visible as nothing but a blur in the air that landed on another branch before disappearing completely into the dark jungle.

oOoOoOo

Hk'tak growled to himself as he swung through the jungle.

That had not gone to plan, but he had gathered valuable information. There were two of the new creatures and one of the targets he wasn't sure about was one of the creatures.

He didn't know what it was though, except that they were powerful, far more powerful than any ooman had been reported as being. He'd felt a flash of fear when the new creature had unleashed a sonic attack which had temporarily disrupted his cloak. It wasn't the disruption of the cloak, rather the damage such an attack could do to him if he had been subjected to it longer.

He had nothing that could defend against that. The vibration blades the creatures carried he could handle, his wrist blades were designed to resist that and the other attack the first creature had used on him, that small blast was similar enough to his plasma cannon to be a part of the hunt.

Hk'tak slowed and stopped, picking out a branch that provided him with cover as he sat down to examine his wounds. Thankfully, the sonic attack hadn't damaged his sense of balance, and that other attack had only grazed him so he would bruise but that was all. The vibration blade had caught him, but the wound wasn't deep though it was still sluggishly bleeding and he'd have to take care of that.

He forced himself to breathe deeply as he considered the creatures, absently unpacking his medi-kit and beginning to treat his wounds. They were the primary hunt now, and both their armour and their skulls would take pride of place amongst his trophies. What was confusing about them was that they were ooman but their armour was not. He had never seen anything that was like it and that left uncertainty in the hunt. The fact that there were two did not help. They obviously knew how to work together as well since their attacks had coordinated together. Hk'tak would have to be wary.

He fixed a dressing to the wound, stopping the bleeding without restricting his movement. Despite the cut in his cloak it was still functional and he would need it now. Hk'tak closed his eyes, remembering the creatures. They would probably have other weapons he hadn't seen, he decided, recalling some of their features, but he would be wary and he would know this time not to hold back. Unknown weapons did not invalidate the hunt, they just made it more exciting and that was one of the reasons oomans were a prized hunt, because they could learn, because they could adapt, unlike the hard meats. They were a challenge and their weapons, especially as they had developed over time, had just served to make the oomans more desired as a hunt. Those oomans were dangerous but they had yet to see him at his deadliest. Their danger made them worthy and so they would see him truly hunt.

And he would hunt them in daylight. The extra warmth of the day would help him more than the extra sight would help them.

Hk'tak screamed his challenge to the jungle, knowing the oomans would hear the echoes and know he was still there, still hunting.

oOoOoOo

"What the hell was that?" Sho wasn't the only one asking the question as he stared, transfixed at the blood.

It glowed.

What blood glowed?

"El diablo!" One of the guides screamed, throwing down his hat.

"That's the devil?"

"Si, el diablo," the guide said and the Japanese speakers didn't need a translation to understand that. Unfortunately the guide continued and their understanding vanished.

The Hyper Zoanoid stepped forward to translate. "With the devil here and wounded, it is too dangerous to stay, even without a weapon. We are leaving."

Tetsuro frowned. "Without a weapon?"

The Hyper Zoanoid and the guide spoke quickly for a few minutes before the guide stalked off to accompany the other guides who were gathered together. Mizuki and Shizu were with them and were a bit covered in dirt from the interior of the temple where they had taken cover. The guides spoke with each other for a moment before, despite the fact that it was night, they stalked off into the jungle without looking back.

"If I got that right, he said that the devil comes in the hot seasons and hunts. But you can avoid being hunted if you do not carry a weapon, which is why they left their machetes back at the village. And that's where they are going now."

"After seeing it, I can't really blame them," Sho said slowly. "That thing was fast."

"It was but it bleeds, so even if it's not human it will still die," Agito said firmly. "And with blood like that, it isn't human."

"That I agree," the Hyper Zoanoid said.

"It doesn't really matter what it is," Shizu interrupted. "It will be back," she said with fortuitous timing as a scream echoed around them, one that was reminiscent of the one they'd heard the other day, before they'd found the Zoanoids. "That is what we need to deal with."

They looked at each other carefully and Tetsuro looked towards the excavation. "If we hurry, I think we can finish today," he said. "There were only a few more panels to look at, unless anyone saw anything new in the temple?"

There were general head shakes all around. "Then I think we can leave later today," Tetsuro said. "And that could possibly avoid it attacking all together, especially if it attacks again a night."

"Perhaps, but I don't think we can rely on that," Agito said. "It's a hunter, and it wants us, especially since we've injured it now. It will want revenge. You should be safe though Tetsuro, if the guides were right so long as you don't pick up a weapon."

The Japanese teen snorted. "Yeah, safe. It is seven foot tall, is strong enough to kill Zoanoids without issue, is fast enough to avoid most Guyver attacks and supposedly I'll be okay if I don't carry a weapon? Right..." Sarcasm dripped from his words.

"How many more panels do you have to go?" Mizuki asked.

"One, maybe two," Tetsuro said softly. His sister was in as much danger as he was from that thing.

"Then you'd better hurry and begin at first light," Agito said, dismissing the matter. "The sooner we are done, the sooner we can leave this thing."

Tetsuro looked up at the sky. Through the thick trees he could see the light of the false dawn. While his body said sleep, his mind was too awake for rest, was too focused on the task at hand at the problems that faced them.

There was something out there, something hunting them, something that wasn't Chronos but was just as dangerous, maybe more so. Chronos wanted the Units. This thing wanted them dead.

But they had the possibility of avoiding this thing, of escaping. If he got the work completed fast enough, they could leave in the afternoon, and therefore avoid another night in this steamy jungle and hopefully the hunter would move on to others. He was a little wary of that, it was like passing their problems on to others, but they had no choice. They were fighting Chronos, they couldn't afford other battles.

Tetsuro was proud, though, that none of his friends had suggested that they abandon the excavation. At least they all knew how important these stone panels could be. They knew what the worth of the information that they were searching for.

With a shake of his head, Tetsuro pulled himself into the present. He had two panels to go, one ready to strip and one that required lifting out of the ruins before it could be striped and viewed. Mizuki and Shizu could do the initial preparation to strip while he did the prep work to lift out the last panel. Sho and Agito would help the Zoanoids patrol. Though so far that hadn't been too effective, it at least gave the military minded Chronos troops something to focus on. And who knew, maybe someone would get lucky.

He looked over at Mizuki and Shizu. They had given up on sleep for the night and were currently preparing breakfast, though Tetsuro could also see they'd been tentatively packing up their gear. Agito and Sho had their units activated and were hovering in the trees, setting traps in case their hunter returned that way. With a sigh, he looked towards the panel and set his tools out as he began to preparing it. The faster it was done, the sooner they could go.

oOoOoOo

Hk'tak had laid out his weapons, examining each for flaws or signs of wear. They glittered back at him, the trusty blades that had seem him through many hunts.

He ran his claws over them, lingering on a few almost lovingly; the short blade with which he'd killed his first hard meat, the long blade that had saved him in his first duel, the tiny heat blade he'd used to stop a soft meat once, killing it instantly and the spear that had been used to mark him as a blooded warrior were the weapons he was particularly fond of.

They would not let him down.

With practiced ease Hk'tak tested each blade, rejecting a few but re-sheathing others. He had enough plasma rounds remaining that this hunt would be a hunt but he would be careful not to squander them. After this hunt he would need to return to his ship to report to the hunt masters and to resupply, but Hk'tak would worry about that tomorrow.

Rising, he clipped the last few weapons to his harness, feeling their weight settle against him comfortably as he tested the dressing on his wound. It was still good, and would hold. He stepped off the branch, dropping down to the limb below before jumping to another tree, climbing towards the dense crowns and the tepid sunlight of this planet to cry out his challenge.

oOoOoOo

Tetsuro splashed copious amounts of water on to the stone work. It was approaching lunch time and they were still on schedule. He'd lifted out the last panel and Mizuki and Shizu were working on its preparation while he cleaned off the other one. He was almost finished, and when he saw this one he could then help finish off the last panel.

The ladies had already packed all their gear into the packs neatly, and so they were ready to go as soon as things were finished here. So far the patrols hadn't found anything but they had heard the creature once and that had set them all back to work with fervour. With a heave, Tetsuro pulled the slab of stone out of the water trough, watching the muddy water drain away to show the engraving.

As it cleared he felt his eyes widen involuntarily and his knees felt weak. This wasn't possible.

The stone work showed Alkanphel again, and this time he wasn't fighting a not Zoanoid, he was fighting something else, something that looked like a human with dreadlocks. Except the human was as tall as Alkanphel's battle form and had claws and a strangely expressionless face, like a mask. Alkanphel was fighting one of the creatures who was hunting them. One thing it did also show though was a power beam from Alkanphel except of course the creature had dodged it.

"Um... People," Tetsuro called softly, wary of raising his voice to avoid attracting attention.

"What is it?" Shizu asked gently.

"I think people need to look at this."

She nodded and then called over Agito. He was accompanied by Sho and the Hyper Zoanoid and they all came to look at the panel.

"I think that confirms it," the Hyper Zoanoid said. "The creature hunting us is alien."

The others nodded before a scream from the surrounding jungle grabbed their attention.

"DARN IT!" the Hyper Zoanoid shouted, ripping into his Zoanoid form and running towards the noise.

"Take cover," Agito ordered the others before he and Sho followed the Hyper Zoanoid, calling their units as soon as they cleared the camp. Tetsuro, Shizu and Mizuki headed towards the temple. At least they didn't have to worry about the guides this time but the view the stone panel showed was worrying.

Alkanphel, and by extension Zoanoids, had been created to fight aliens; aliens who were still on earth.

oOoOoOo

Hk'tak had watched them all morning, tracking their patrols, waiting for the strongest to be called away. Opportunity always presented itself to the one who was patient. He was patient and eventually the non-combatants had called the others away. He'd moved fast, taking out two before one of them had screamed. Hk'tak had laughed softly, even as he moved away, jumping back into the trees, avoiding the traps they'd set.

Now was the time for pursuit and hunt, and he would kill the remaining Uranus troops before he hunted those oomans who were too strong. There were only five left, including the leader and that should be simple even though they were showing remarkably good tactics against him. They couldn't see him but they were arrayed against him in a formation that would allow them to see each other. The others fit into the formation easily and Hk'tak hissed to himself. He would have to use plasma rounds to knock them out of formation.

He picked his target and fired with the same thought, jumping to another branch to avoid detection. The two oomans with armour seemed to be able to track him but they appeared tentative with their shots. That would change when they got desperate but for now Hk'tak would use that. He tapped his claws over the targeting controls of his disk and dived towards another branch, letting himself swing by one arm as he cast the disk with the other.

It flew truly and he gritted his teeth as the swinging motion stretched his wound before he launched himself again towards another branch, snatching his disk out of the air and ducking behind a tree trunk as a few half-hearted discharges of energy flashed in his general direction.

They were getting bolder and there were growls from the remaining Uranus soldiers. Hk'tak didn't care. He would take them all out. He jumped away from their camp, seeking distance so that he could swing around to take them from another angle. One that would allow him to remove the last of the Uranus troops, then he could fight those other oomans. For the moment he couldn't see the non-combatants so he assumed they were hiding. Good. They would not interfere with the hunt.

He came back in from the left, clicking softly when he saw the Uranus troops were aligned for his plans. Another quick flick of his disk removed them, leaving their leader and the other two oomans. The leader was too large for his disk to slice but his spear, he had taken larger prey with it.

Hk'tak dropped to the ground, extending his spear as he walked towards their camp easily, his blood pounding with the heat of the hunt.

oOoOoOo

Sho stretched his senses wide, trying to detect the creature that was hunting them. It was taking out the Zoanoids with ease, despite their preparations and their readiness for it. It was frustrating, and more than a bit scary, but he'd learnt to control his fear fighting Chronos, to use it to make himself stronger. He didn't think he'd ever have reason to feel thankful to Chronos for their lessons in warfare, but he was thankful now for his enforced education.

But the creature was fast, strong, and skilled. Possibly more so than any Zoanoid he'd faced. It knew the terrain and it was adept with its weapons and never seemed to miss. He felt a thrill of fear, not for himself but for Mizuki and Tetsuro. They wouldn't, -couldn't- survive this creature, not unless they defeated it.

He tracked it as best he could, but its cloak was still active and that was the first thing they needed to remove. Then they could fight it more evenly.

A scream to his right caused him to turn and he saw an impossibility, the same as Agito did. The Hyper Zoanoid was impaled upon a spear that was hanging in mid-air. Sho activated his sonics, praying that they would again successfully reveal the creature but he was realist enough to know that the Zoanoid was dead.

Once again the small lightning-sparks played through the air and the creature lost its cloak. It appeared even bigger in the daylight if that was possible. It had mottled skin, and what appeared to be a dressing on the wound he'd inflicted earlier, but it also had armour in strategic places, on its shoulders and over its face. It was a strange creature, one that appeared primitive, with a bone necklace but had the use of highly evolved technology as evidenced by the cloak and its gauntlets.

This time, though, Sho wasn't frozen with surprise, and as the creature discarded the Hyper Zoanoid he lunged in, slashing with vibroblades as he tried to aim his head beam.

oOoOoOo

Hk'tak moved to intercept the smaller armoured ooman, using his wrist blades to catch the vibration swords that adorned the armoured ones elbows but he was careful to keep track of the second armoured ooman. He had no desire to be ambushed. The other one appeared to be happy to watch for the moment, allowing the smaller one to engage him.

They traded blows and Hk'tak admitted to a reluctant respect for them. They moved fast, trading blows with him evenly and didn't flinch back, and their style was unpredictable. Unlike the Uranus troops, this one was not trained, and that added a fun dimension to the battle.

He almost forgot himself with the pleasure of the battle but he wasn't so inexperienced that he forgot the other opponent and when that armoured ooman jumped behind him, he was ready, and danced out of both their ranges, clicking as they corrected their stance to resume battle with him. He didn't, however, anticipate the laser that pierced his shoulder.

The shock of pain made him stumble back, stupidly raising his other hand to touch the wound. He had not been expecting that, and Hk'tak silently berated himself as he dodged backwards as the oomans attacked again. The new wound was at least clean and cauterised already. It pained him but had not hit the joint itself, so he could fight with it.

Hk'tak snarled, activating the targeting on his plasma cannon. It was time he got serious.

oOoOoOo

Sho felt a moment of triumph as his head beam connected, but the creature wasn't as weak as a Zoanoid, and it seemed to shrug off the injury, adapting its fighting style and continuing on. It was fast, but so long as he didn't think and just reacted, his unit allowed him to keep up. At least the creature didn't appear to have speed healing like Aptom. Whatever technology it employed didn't allow that.

They clashed again, vibroblades to wrist blades, each trying to get through the defences of the other. Sho was wary, though, the speed of battle didn't give him enough time to utilise his head beam or gravity globes and he felt he would need them. Suddenly the creature jumped back and as Sho moved to follow, there was a confusing flash of light and his chest burst with pain. He flew back with the impact, coughing blood.

oOoOoOo

Hk'tak fired his plasma cannon. The ooman was not expecting it but it didn't die immediately. He was going to finish it, but the other ooman chose now to interfere. Hk'tak snarled as he began the dance of blades again with the other armoured one. He was a superlative hunter, though, and even while he fought he observed the other one. What he could see, though, wasn't comforting.

The injured ooman was still coughing, and blood was still coming through the oomans face mask but below, where his plasma round had caught the ooman, the armour was reforming. To his sight he could see strands reaching out and connecting. These armoured oomans could self-heal, even wounds which would be fatal to other oomans. This other ooman was more skilled that the one he'd wounded, but the ooman didn't have his experience, and with a flourish, Hk'tak spun, slashing low across the ooman's thighs with his wrist blades.

The wounds weren't deep, but for an unarmoured ooman they would have brought them to their knees. For this one, though, it jumped back slightly and Hk'tak could see the same healing occurring. This was faster though and Hk'tak nodded to himself. Serious wounds required more time to heal, but superficial ones would be healed quickly. It was not in his favour, but he could use this information. While the ooman was busy healing one wound, he could inflict another, and another, until it was fatal. Before the ooman could use its ranged weapons against him, Hk'tak unslung his spear, closing the distance between them and swinging with his wrist blades.

There was the discordant howl as his wrist blades connected with the oomans vibration swords and Hk'tak clicked almost happily, thrusting his unextended spear towards the oomans chest as he hit the controls to extend it. He could still hear the ooman's heart beneath the armour and no matter what healing powers the ooman may possess, a thrust through the heart would take some time to heal, if it was possible, though Hk'tak wasn't so naive to believe that it would be fatal.

The ooman was flung back but his spear went cleanly through their chest, emerging from the other side. Hk'tak pushed forward, disengaging his wrist blades and slamming them through the oomans guts before he threw the spear away, turning to block the other ooman who had recovered.

He snarled. He was a consummate hunter, but this was frustrating! And dangerous. He had to disable one of them completely, or they would just keep taking wounds and healing, one covering for the other as needed. At least the ooman who was impaled on his spear seemed to be struggling to remove it. They couldn't grip it for the slickness from their blood liberally coating it.

oOoOoOo

Sho spat the last of the blood away, just as he saw the creature slam an elongating spear through Agito, followed by a thrust from the blades that were on its wrist. The creature may not be able to heal, but they were as fast or faster than a Zoanoid, and just as strong, but more importantly they didn't have the usual arrogance of a Zoanoid. It seemed to know how to fight, and it seemed to know how to fight strong foes. Sho wasn't a soldier, but he could see that the way the creature moved, wasted no movement and was skilled. They knew their weapons, they knew what they could do. What would be arrogance from a Zoanoid was not here.

As Guyvers, they might have more abilities and better healing, but this creature was more skilled than them. And because of that they needed to be careful, or the battle would be over when the creature wore them out. Not even a Guyver's energy was infinite, especially not if they were healing fatal wounds such as the ones that Agito had just had inflicted upon him.

Sho slashed with his vibroblades with one arm, making sweeping motions as he tried to charge a gravity globe with the other hand. The creature, though, seemed to anticipate him and kicked at him, forcing the energy he'd gathered to dissipate. Sho growled and slashed again, using both arms this time, daring to dance in close, trying to use his advantage of two blades against the creature. He got lucky and opened a gash on the creature's thigh, but paid for it a moment later as the creature back flipped, catching his chin with its clawed feet. Something that big should not be able to move that fast, and there was only a moment before the alien righted itself, once again closing with him, the new wound on their thigh apparently not bothering it.

oOoOoOo

Hk'tak hissed as he felt the ooman's blade lay open his leg. It was not a crippling wound, but it would slow him down in time, but the ooman didn't know that, and wouldn't find that out. With all his strength he flipped, intending to drive the ooman back before lunging forward to impale them. He did hit them, knocking their head back but this ooman reacted fast and managed to keep their defensive formation.

He was the more experienced one in this battle. He could feel that from their reactions, but the oomans possessed that healing, that inhuman healing, and he couldn't fight against that forever, which meant he had to start taking some risks. He needed to remove one of the oomans from this battle.

The clash of their blades against each other screamed through his hearing and Hk'tak knew how he could catch this ooman off guard. He set up the motion, running through the slashes he'd learned almost as a pouchling and he felt pleased as the ooman stumbled slightly through the counter movements. Without his training, they did not know fully what was coming next. With an almost casual motion he back handed the ooman's arm out of position, before stepping forward, stepping well inside the oomans range and swinging around 360 degrees, his wrist blades held out.

The ooman jumped back, because with their arms out of position that was their only defence against him, but Hk'tak was ready, clenching his fist and extending his wrist blades further than they had been. The ooman knew his range, but didn't know about the full extensibility of his blades, and as expected Hk'tak felt the resistance as they cut deep into the oomans abdomen, pulling his wrist back as they made two deep lines, which on any other ooman would be fatal.

He activated the recording he'd made earlier, hoping the noise and the voice would further throw the ooman off balance. "I can kill you!" It seemed to work and the ooman froze but as Hk'tak closed to inflict more damage they seemed to shake themselves, ignoring their own blood and the voice and bringing their weapons up again in defence.

More than in defence, and it was Hk'tak who was thrown back as one of those globes hit him squarely on his face mask. The force threw him back into the ooman camp and stunned him momentarily, but he knew that it was these times that were the most dangerous, and despite the mild disorientation he stepped up, appearing to be completely hale and ready for the next attack.

Victory here would be bought with his skill, but bluff was also a skill. The visual frequencies clouded and he knew his mask was damaged but as one of the Yautja's primary pieces of equipment, it was solid and would work no matter the damage. Only complete severance would hinder its operation.

He glanced around for the other ooman, and fought a frown when he realised they were no longer visible. Hk'tak couldn't look more thoroughly, though, as the smaller ooman drove back in to fight him and he was forced to draw his disk to counter one of the vibration blades. It seemed unlikely, but perhaps the other ooman had fled. That wasn't something he could believe, though, not for that other one who had been so confident.

A shrill warning from his mask saved him, and Hk'tak didn't even think as he threw himself to the side. The other ooman had dodged back from him an instant before the warning whistle, but he was still too slow and he screamed as white hot pain lanced through his leg. The numbers flashed on his mask and Hk'tak's eyes opened wide, not only with pain but with disbelief. Those sorts of numbers weren't possible, not for oomans. They didn't possess particle beams but as he stumbled back, falling to the ground as his centre of gravity shifted he knew the numbers were true, and he knew he was in a lot of trouble.

The beam was fading and slowly the visual frequencies cleared as the energy dissipated. He didn't need sight though to know that he was now missing one foot and part of his calf. If he hadn't of dodged he would have been disintegrated in the energy beam.

But where had it come from?

Hk'tak looked around but the only thing he could see was the missing ooman, one hand on their chest as they descended to the ground. He'd forgotten they could fly! But was that possible? Could he have been the source of the blast? The ooman was watching him and he could feel their guarded respect. From the other ooman, Hk'tak could feel their relief. They knew, as well as he did that he could not continue to fight.

He wasn't afraid. This was always one possible outcome of every hunt, but something held him back from hitting the control pad of his gauntlet to end it.

He had to know what had finished him.

The two oomans shared a look and Hk'tak watched as they both reached towards their chests and for an instant he didn't understand when they both pulled at their armour. Then his mask detected the rising energy and he knew.

The ooman had been the source of the blast. These oomans were capable of generating particle beams. Their other weaponry he could match, but there was no way any hunter could carry a particle beam weapon that was sufficiently small to be useful. These oomans, though, they appeared to be carrying two each. The Yautja had particle beam weapons, but they were strictly weapons for their capital ships. Oomans just did not have this level of technology.

That was something he needed to report.

Hk'tak growled and pushed himself forward. He had to get to his ship, no matter what.

oOoOoOo

Sho breathed a sigh of relief as the creature collapsed. It seemed to know it was beaten, but it remained silent, glaring at them from behind its mask, watching as Agito descended from the trees.

:There is no point in talking,: Agito said, reaching again for his mega-smasher, gesturing for Sho to do so as well. He didn't have time to reverse-engineer the aliens technology, so it would be best if it was destroyed entirely.

They kept their distance, charging the blast but as it was almost complete the alien moved, pushing itself forward to scramble on its hands and leg towards the jungle.

Agito swore, powering down and following, but even missing one leg the alien was fast.

oOoOoOo

Hk'tak scrambled for the safety of the trees. They could still fire their weapons but the trees would give him cover to activate his cloak and if he moved fast enough they wouldn't detect him as he doubled back towards his ship.

With a half motion he clipped his disk back into its holster. His spear was gone, and he couldn't risk retrieving it. Though that was against the rules of the hunt, he was in no condition to get it back and the information he had was too important to risk. The hunt masters had to be warned that the oomans were... Hk'tak wasn't sure what they were. Were they advancing fast, or were those things not ooman? He didn't know, but by studying the records the Yautja would find out and they would know.

Behind him he could feel the armoured oomans pursue, but hopefully he could avoid them. Hk'tak activated his cloak and made a sharp turn. He wasn't strong enough for a long chase so had to be direct. His balance was compromised, but so long as he wasn't too proud to scramble with his hands he could move fast enough. He pushed himself against a tree, watching as the oomans ran further into the jungle. He was cautious and scanned through the visual frequencies, tracking the armoured oomans and seeking their companions. The armoured oomans tracked straight, a fact for which Hk'tak was thankful, but he could not detect their companions yet there were traces around the entrance to the stone work.

Hk'tak snarled to himself. If they were in there, he'd have to deal with it then.

oOoOoOo

Sho slowed before he eventually stopped. He couldn't see the creature, and he hadn't been able to since before he entered the jungle, and it was likely that it had activated its cloak and gone to ground. With wounds such as it had, it would be unlikely to want to stay in the area, nor did it appear to want to fight them further, but like all creatures it was determined to preserve its life.

He closed his eyes, extending his senses to try to detect the creature. His unit stretched out and in the way that he seemed to be able to see everywhere, he could feel himself searching through the jungle, but he couldn't detect the creature. It was good at hiding, and Sho was careful to scan both high and low, focusing on those areas he wouldn't usually think to look. This creature had proven it was adept at hiding. But he could find nothing amiss, and slowly he began working his way towards the camp.

Seemingly from the distance there came the rumble of thunder and Sho looked up, trying to see the sky through the dense canopy of the jungle. It was mid-afternoon and while there were a few puffy white clouds in the blue, he couldn't see any dark thunder clouds, but the noise like thunder didn't disappear, instead growing louder. He frowned, looking around. Could that be the creature? Except he didn't think it could be. The sound was all encompassing, coming from nowhere but wrapping him in noise.

The whine grew, building to fever pitch before there was a loud boom and Sho looked back towards the temple excavation to see a large cloud of dust rising into the sky. But coming out of the cloud was a bright light which accelerated towards the heavens. His Unit's sensors locked on to it and Sho got the impression of a ship which looked almost like a talon, or an ornate cutting knife. It was fast, though, and even if Sho had wanted to pursue, it soon reached space and the option was gone.

The creature had run.

oOoOoOo

Tetsuro blinked in the light as he came out of the temple. The temple was slightly cooler than the jungle, but the humidity was trapped, making it very uncomfortable, so he was glad to leave it. Sho and Agito were at the edge of their camp, but he couldn't see any Zoanoids.

Sho seemed relieved, but he could detect a certain sense of annoyance from Agito. Apparently, it was something that Shizu could as well, since she approached him, placing one hand gently on his still armoured forearm to comfort him. The change was barely perceptible but the air seemed to lighten as Agito calmed.

"It's gone?"

"Unfortunately."

"Back into space. Though I doubt it will be back. It was injured pretty badly," Sho said, looking up towards the sky.

"It will not be back," Agito said sharply. "But others may come. And we should leave, in case Chronos detected it entering orbit."

"But, the panels," Tetsuro objected.

Agito gestured towards the camp and Tetsuro cried out. The last panel, the one he had almost been ready to view, was shattered. Not just broken into one or two pieces, but shattered beyond all possibility of repair. "Well, at least we learnt something," he said forlornly.

"Alkanphel, and probably Zoanoids, were created to fight aliens," Shizu summarised in her soft voice.

"We've advanced, though," Agito said. "We can do it ourselves. Next time that creature appears, we will be ready." There was a lilt in his voice that bespoke hope. He wanted those creatures to appear again. Agito smiled to himself. Next time a creature like that appeared, he would kill it and use its technology. Then his plans would be advanced.

Tetsuro looked back at the destroyed panel. Whatever information it contained was gone now and there was no point in remaining. He picked up his kit, which Shizu and Mizuki had packed up earlier.

"Agito is right, we need to leave before anyone finds us again."

oOoOoOo

Far away, in a climate that was considerably cooler, a man stalked down a dark ally. Suddenly, he paused and looked up to the sky, his eyes focusing at first on the horizon but then they looked beyond the atmosphere to the stars. The scarred face looked confused for an instant before an ironic smile flashed over his features and he began walking again, whistling a jaunty tune.

What was one of his clones doing all the way out there?

oOoOoOo


End file.
